Upper Hutt Posse goes full retard

by Deb on November 18, 2018 at 8:00am

Credit: Technomage

If you are like me and had never heard of Upper Hutt Posse until last week, here is a quick precis. They are a hip-hop group formed in NZ 30 years ago and have a reputation for challenging the status quo and fighting for social justice in Aotearoa. One of their albums is called Declaration of Resistance. To help you to skip right on past it, next time you are in the record shop, there is a picture of the album cover at the bottom of the post. Technomage has provided us with a more representative version in his artwork above; a more accurate re-brand if you will.

I’ll be honest, hip-hop is just not my musical taste, it makes me want to claw my ears off with my bare hands. But each to his own. Their music will sink back into the obscurity whence it came; however, their reputation lingers with a foul stench.

The Vodafone NZ Music Awards were held recently and the front man for Upper Hutt Posse, the group that won the Legacy Award, Dean Hapeta, went full retard during his acceptance speech for the Legacy Award.

It was a first-rate example of hate speech, yet there has been limited backlash on Twitter, and no condemnation from the mainstream media at all.

After all the screeching about Don Brash, and Southern and Molyneux, who were all accused of hate speech when there actually was none, along comes a genuine anti-semitic racist rant, and there’s barely a ripple of objection, and no outrage at all!

You can watch the speech here, if you wish to witness the stupidity and awfulness in its entirety. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to see it for yourselves; it is a little hard to comprehend. Quote.

Hapeta said, “Where’s that Prime Minister, even if it was a fake acting one up here? I got some words for you: all of our armed forces and military that have been fighting in these fake wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for oil, for USA imperialism – get outta there! What you need to be doing is going to Palestine to fight against the racist terrorism of the Israeli state. That is where all of our fighting energy needs to be.

“And also, even more, get to the Mexican-USA border and defend that caravan of indigenous people seeking refugee status in the United Snakes of Ameri-KKK-a. They’re seeking refuge because their countries have been wrecked by that colonial power known as the USA.

“Death to all oppressors!” End of quote.

There is just so much wrong with that rant, it’s hard to know where to begin. I’ll start with the ‘fake wars in Afghanistan’. Does he mean the ‘fake’ wars that saw Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi brought to justice for war crimes? These three are amongst the most violent oppressors in recent history.

Then he goes on to accuse Israel of racist terrorism and says ‘that is where all of our fighting energy needs to be’. It’s probably superfluous to note that Dean Hapeta is known to be a rabid anti-semite, but it’s shameful that he used the band’s award as a platform to deliver that specific, violence-inciting message.

Next up is the ‘Defend that caravan of indigenous people seeking refugee status in the United Snakes’ nonsense.

Clearly, he thinks America has no obligation to defend its own people from those who are trying illegally to cross their borders. As rational thinking seems to be out of Mr Hapeta’s grasp, I’ll help him out by asking, if America is the cause of their ills, because their countries have been wrecked by that colonial power, why on earth would the caravan want to be flooding into the country?

And lastly, ‘Death to all oppressors’.

This just needs two words – hate speech.

I’m disappointed that Mr Hapeta, on behalf of Upper Hutt Posse, was allowed to deliver this racist rant on stage. He should have been shut down the second that first sentence was uttered. It’s not as if it was a one-off, because they also published this rant on the 18th October 2018 on the NZ Music awards website. Quote:

“Furthermore, in today’s increasingly interconnected world where environmental degradation, war profiteering, misogyny, police brutality and white privilege can no longer be denied I see our being recognised as according also with progressive activism over the last decade – from Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter, Me Too, and protests against that miserable good-for-nothing skirt-chaser in the white house.” End of quote.

The miserable good for nothing skirt chaser in the White House that has brought jobs to America, with unemployment for the black population dropping to 6.5%, the lowest level since records began in 1970. Is that the miserable good for nothing you mean?

Mihingarangi Forbes is clearly a fan of Upper Hutt Posse, and had a massive brain fart with this tweet: Quote:

Fucking love Upper Hutt Posse!!!!! ‘Death to all oppressors’: Upper Hutt Posse’s political rant at the 2018 VNZMAs stuff.co.nz/entertainment End of quote.

She subsequently deleted the tweet and tried to back down from her earlier tweet with this retraction: Quote.

“I deleted my tweet about Upper Hutt Posse. I don’t support harm against anyone just simply remember UHP as a grassroots Maori hip hop group who stood for Maori rights and against oppression. End of quote.

Nice try Mihi, but you didn’t just say ‘well done UHP”, you actually repeated their quote ‘death to all oppressors’. There’s no undoing that.

As for the Legacy Award, I was interested to know the criteria used to select the ‘winner’. Apparently, the recipient is judged or allocated by the Recorded Music NZ board. They had this to say about Upper Hutt Posse: Quote:

Recorded Music CEO Damian Vaughan applaudes Upper Hutt Posse for their revolutionary sound and commitment to championing the rights of Māori for the last three decades.

“Upper Hutt Posse were so uniquely different when they debuted ‘E Tū’ and were – and remain – trailblazers for hip hop in Aotearoa. They are an inspiration for young musicians and also to all New Zealanders to keep fighting for what they believe in.” End of quote.

They might want to re-think that comment after the awards night rant. There’s no way anyone capable of such hate speech should be held up as an inspiration for young musicians, regardless of any musical talent or lack of it.

Last years recipient was Sharon O’Neil. I wonder how she feels about the company in the ‘Legacy’ category.

They have left a legacy all right, a legacy of hate and anti-semitic bile.

They fully deserve the re-brand Upper Hutt Pussies.

Upper Hutt Posse album cover

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